Climate Change Challenge

Climate change is happening and is resulting in serious global challenges such as rising global temperatures, changing weather patterns, rising sea levels and increased extreme weather. 

Forecasts anticipate hotter, drier summers and milder, wetter winters, with more extreme weather events.  

Climate change is caused by greenhouse gas emissions which trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere. One of the greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide, which is produced when fossil fuels such as oil and gas are burnt. There are other gasses that are also greenhouse gases such as methane.   

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The UK and Welsh Governments have committed to tackling climate change. 

The Welsh Government has an ambition for all public sector bodies to be net zero carbon by 2030. This means the greenhouse gases taken from the atmosphere are in balance with the greenhouse gases emitted.  

 The Welsh Government wants Wales as a country to be net zero carbon by 2050.   

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June 2019 the council declared a climate emergency and in September 2021, the council declared a nature emergency.   

Our work is underpinned by our Climate and Nature Emergency Action Plan 2022-27 that was agreed by Cabinet in February 2022 and provides a framework for our programme of work including how the authority will become net carbon zero by 2030, and how we will support communities to become net carbon zero.  

It focuses on eight key areas:  

• Energy and water efficiency
• Renewable energy
• Mobility and transport
• Procurement
• Waste, including reducing and recycling
• Biodiversity
• Resilience against the impact of climate change
• Cross-cutting issues, including staff training

Progress is monitored by councillors on the Climate & Nature Emergency Cabinet Sub-group. 

The council’s Project Apollo programme aims to significantly reduce the council’s energy emissions and costs.   

Responding to the climate and nature emergency is also one of the Well-being Objectives set out in the Future Torfaen: A County Plan.